After Meeting Constitutional Court Chair, President Speaks of ‘Dangerous Trend’

President Giorgi Margvelashvili said he was not surprised by Constitutional Court Chairman’s allegations about pressure being exerted on the Court as he personally became a target of this “dangerous trend” after “pressure” was exerted on one of his family members.

The President made the remarks at a news conference on July 25 after meeting Chairman of Constitutional Court Giorgi Papuashvili, who alleged on July 21 that some of the judges of the 9-member Court were “pressured” and “blackmailed” to either rule in favor of the authorities or drag out verdicts in several high-profile cases that are now under consideration in the Constitution Court.

“I spoke with Mr Papuashvili and he named concrete facts,” President Margvelashvili said. “These concrete facts, which concern important state institution – the Constitution Court and its judges, which have highest level of protection under our constitution, are alarming.”

“Unfortunately, I have to tell you that these facts have not caught me by surprise, because this trend, regrettably, is not a new one. About a month ago there was a certain attempt to exert pressure on my family member through the involvement of law enforcement [agencies],” Margvelashvili said.

“Therefore, what Mr Papuashvili told me is not a surprise for me,” he said.

The President said that he decided to speak publicly about “pressure” on his unspecified family member after learning about Constitutional Court Chair’s allegations.

“I did not disturb the public about it [pressure on his family member], because such pressure for me is ridiculous – I passed through [ex-president Mikheil] Saakashvili’s period, but I decided to speak publicly about it after I saw that such trends are deepening, also in respect of the Constitutional Court,” the President said.

He said that one of his family members, whom he did not specify, was stopped by the police in a street and then his home was searched “without any court warrant”.
 
“Everything was of course clean and there was no wrongdoing [on the part of his family member], but there were some hints that it was done in an attempt to exert pressure on this person,” the President said.

The President also criticized those politicians from the GDDG ruling party, who tried to downplay allegations voiced by the Constitutional Court chair. A senior GDDG lawmaker, Gia Volski, said it was a “groundless” allegation “directed against the state.”

“Reactions of politicians to allegations made by the Chairman of the Constitutional Court were, to put it mildly, incomprehensible. When such a high-ranking official reports about pressure on such an important state institution, I think, it should be a source of concern for politicians,” President Margvelashvili said. “We’ve seen cascade of statements claiming that [Papuashvili’s allegation] are false – how do they know it?”

President Margvelashvili also recalled the violent incident in the village of Kortskheli in May, when opposition UNM party leaders and activists were beaten up by ruling GDDG party members and supporters. The President said that has been calling for an appropriate reaction to the violence. Six men have been charged, without being arrested, in connection to the Kortskheli violence. Lawmakers from UNM party have accused energy minister and general secretary of the ruling GDDG party, Kakha Kaladze, of being behind the group, which attacked opposition party members in Kortskheli.

“I was also noting that the Kortskheli incident was fraught with triggering a trend and this syndrome would be very grave for everyone especially in the electoral period,” the President said.
 
“I want to say unambiguously that the Prime Minister [Giorgi Kvirikashvili] is not involved in this,” he said, adding that there is a “trend of emerging links at lower level” between politicians and law enforcement agencies or some other unspecified “structures”.

The President said that he’s ready to meet PM Kvirikashvili and Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili “to give a prompt and adequate response to these dangerous trends, emerging in our political life” and to secure “peaceful, democratic electoral process and to protect important state institutions.”

This “dangerous trend”, he said, implies when “political groups gain informal links with law enforcement or other structures and these [links] are used for political purposes.”

“I want to stress once again that the highest level office holders are not involved in this,” he said.

Prosecutor’s Office notified chairman of the Constitutional Court, Giorgi Papuashvili, to appear before prosecutors “at any time convenient for him” to provide details of alleged pressure on members of the Constitutional Court.

Papuashvili, however, said after meeting the President on July 25, that when last year he was speaking about pressure on the Court, there was no reaction from the law enforcement agencies and now he deems it necessary to raise the issue directly with political leadership, including with PM Kvirikashvili, and only after that he will provide detailed information to the chief prosecutor.

Prosecutor’s Office said on July 25, that chief prosecutor Irakli Shotadze is ready to meet President Margvelashvili and Chairman of the Constitutional Court.

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